Diver suit with electrical heater and fluid pump system



1970 J. v. HARTER ETAL 3,

DIVER SUIT WITH ELECTRICAL HEATER AND FLUID PUMP SYSTEM Filed Aug; 21, 1967 INVENTORS JOHN V. HARTER WILL/AM D. MEEKS EVERETT B. SUNDSTROM United States Patent Other:

US. Cl. 219-211 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A system for providing heated water to a divers suit or divers chamber comprising a pack worn by the diver or a compartment attached to the outside of a diving chamber, containing a water chamber, an immersion electric heater, and an electric pump to circulate the heated water through capillary tubes woven in the divers suit or undergarment and to operate fluid motors powering CO scrubber fans or circulating fans.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a personal life-support backpack system or a system for keeping a diver warm and for operating various devices such as CO scrubber fans and circulating fans within a divers helmet or suit to protect the diver from extreme cold experienced when diving for long periods of the time and to otherwise maintain a habitable condition within the suit. The invention contemplates the use of an external backpack worn by the diver or externally mounted equipment on a diving bell containing all electrical hardware, so that the diver is protected from electric shock and to eliminate the hazard of electrical fires that can occur in pressurized air.

The prior art has recognized the problem of keeping a diver warm when diving for extended periods at depth and the need for CO scrubber fans and the like. This problem has generally been solved by providing a divers suit, or undergarment worn by the diver with electrical wires connected to a power source or by supplying heated water from the surface support ship down to the diver. The electrically heated suit or undergarment has the problem of creating hot spots in the divers body because of breaks in the electrical heater wires due to abrasion and flexure of the suit and, of course, has the potentially dangerous problem of electric shock to the diver. The prior art system of providing the diver with heated water from the surface ship through tubes which connect to capillary tubes woven in the diving suit or the undergarment worn by the diver presents the problem of the loss of heat while the heater water is being conducted to the diver and also or severly limiting the diver in his movements when he is working at depth.

The prior art systems of heating the inside of a diving bell and providing power for operating circulating fans and CO scrubbers, also presents the problem of electric shock and presents a hazardous condition of the possi bility of electric fires when sparks occur within the pressurized air atmosphere within the diving bell. Fluid motors within the diving bell for powering CO scrubbers and circulating fans have also been contemplated using water pumped from a surface ship, but these system suifer from the same disadvantages as discussed with respect to the diving suit.

SUMMARY The instant invention solved the aforementioned problems and disadvantages of the prior art by the use of a pack worn by a diver or a compartment mounted exterior of a diving bell containing all of the electrical equipment 3,497,672 Patented Feb. 24,1970

including an immerison heater, an electric pump, electric solenoid valves and various other valving and tubing necessary to provide heated Water under pressure to the diver. Therefore, an insignificant amount of heat is lost while conducting the heated water to the diver or diving chamber, because the pack or compartment is closely adjacent to the diver or the diving chamber, and there is no danger of electrical fires or electrical shock to the diver, because all electrical connection are outside the suit or chamber.

After the water is heated in a tank containing the immersed heater, it is pumped through flexible tubing through the wall of a diving suit which may be of the sponge rubber wet suit variety well known in the art. The tube then connects to a manifold where a plurality of small capillary tubes branch oif to various capillary tubes which are woven into the suit or a special undergarment which is also well known in the art.

After the water is circulated over the body of the diver and heat spent in keeping him warm, the output of the capillary tubes are gathered together into an exhaust manifold and circulated back through a feed-through connection in the diving suit and thence to the input of the pack worn by the diver.

Alternatively, if it is desired to use this pressurized water to power a C0 scrubber fan or circulating fan within the helment of the divers suit, the heat spent water is directed to the input connection of a water turbine, the output connection of which is directed back to the pack.

It is to be recognized that this same system may be used in a diving chamber or bell and the pack would be replaced by a compartment mounted externally of the diving chamber containing a tank filled with water and heated by an immersion heater and electric pump and associated hardware mentioned previously. The input and output of this heated water and pumping system would be directed through water-tight connections in the diving bell to which the diver may connect up his own suit or capillary tubes and fluid motors secured within the chamber may be connected up thus providing a habitable condition within the entire diving bell.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a system for heating a diver without the attendant risk of electric shock or hot spots on the divers body.

Another object is to provide a system for powering fans, etc. within a divers suit or diving bell.

Still another object of this invention is to eliminate the hazard of electric shock or electric fires within a divers suit or a diving bell.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as the disclosure made in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying sheets of drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a representation of a diver wearing a divers suit and a backpack for heating and pressurizing water.

FIG. 2 is a detailed schematic view of the backpack containing the means for heating and pressurizing water.

FIG. 3 is a view of a divers helmet showing an attached CO scrubber and fan, cutaway to show the interior details.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown a representation of a diver wearing an undergarment 12 and having woven therein plastic capillary tubes 10 through which is circulated warm water. Over the undergarment 12 is worn the conventional sponge-rubber wet suit 14 and having opening therein for passage of input tube 18 and output tube 20 which are connected to the backpack 22. Within the suit there are manifolds (not shown) for connection to the input and output tubes of the backpack for dividing and directing the circulating vwater to the numerous capillary tubes woven in the undergarment.

Referring now to FIG. 2 where the various components of the backpack 22 are shown in detail, there is shown an electric motor 24 deriving its motivation power from battery 26. The motor may drive any type of fluid pump 28 (shown in FIG. 2 as a turbine type). This electricallydriven pump may be a separate unit or, as shown in the FIG. 2, integral With the water chamber 30 containing therein a heated coil 32 of conventional design such as a Calrod heater. This heater 32 is also connected across the source of power, namely, the battery 26. In order to maintain the proper temperature of water, the flow of current to the heater may be controlled directly by a thermostat switch 34 or if necessary due to high currents within the heater, a control relay 36 may be installed. The thermostat 34 shown as a bimetal strip in diagrammatic form here is contained within an enlargement of the output line 38 of the backpack, wherein water under pressure is directed to the suit. After the Water is directed into the suit through suitable connections and diverted to various parts of the body by means of the manifolds, and thence conducted through the capillary tubes, the water is collected back at one of the manifolds and is then conducted to the water chamber 30 via the input tube 20. A bypass valve 40 is provided between the output line 18 and the input line 20 for bypassing the pressurized heated water if desired to the return or input line 20.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a divers helmet 42 is shown, and mounted thereon is a C scrubber and fan arrangement. A water turbine and fan 44 is operated by the circulating water from the backpack. Spent air is drawn from the helmet through a hole and forced by the fan 44 through a C0 scrubber 46, and thence back into the helmet through another hole. Similar but larger CO scrubbers and fans would be used within a diving chamber.

DESCRIPTION OF THE OPERATION When it is known that a diver will be diving at great depths or wherever the water is cold, it is necessary to heat his body for comfort and proper metabolism. The diver will don an undergarment containing capillary tubes woven therein, over which he will don a conventional rubber wet suit. A backpack 22 will then be secured to the divers back by shoulder and waist straps which will contain all the necessary electrical equipment and hardware for heating and pressurizing the water to be pumped through the capillary tubes within the undergarment.

Water is heated within the water chamber 30 by the heater 32 and is caused to flow into the input side of the pump 28. The water is then directed through the output tube 38 past a thermostat 34 and thence into the output tube 18 which passes through the rubber wet suit to a manifold which directs the heated and pressurized water to various parts of the body including a C0 scrubber fan or circulating fan mounted on the helmet.

After circulating throughout the suit and the Water turbine fan, the Water, now spent of its heat, is returned to a manifold where it is collected and returned to the water heating chamber 30 via tube 20; If the pressure or the temperature of the water emitted by the pump 28 is too great, a valve 40 is provided for bypassing some of the flow directly from the output of the pump to the input of the heating chamber. Opening of this valve, of course, will reduce the flow and the temperature of the water directed to the suit. The motor 24 and the heater 32 are connected to a source of electrical energy such as a battery 26 or may be connected to a cable dropped from a surface ship.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

. It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only the preferred embodiments of the invention and that numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a suit worn by a diver operating in an undersea environment, a self-contained portable apparatus for heating and circulating water through flexible capillary tubes disposed within and distributed substantially throughout the surface of said suit comprising: I

a closed chamber for containing a quantity of water;

inlet and outlet conduit means connecting said chamber to said capillary tubes; electric heating means including an emersion heating coil disposed within said chamber and in direct contact with said water for maintaining the temperature of said water at a predetermined level;

circulating means including an electric pumping device disposed within said chamber for circulating the heated water in a path from the said chamber, through the capillary tubes, and returning to the chamber; and

a source of electric power operably connected to said heating coil and said pumping device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 and further including:

a Water temperature control means disposed in said outlet conduit comprising a thermostatically operated switch for regulating electrical current flow from said power source to said heating coil.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including:

pressure control means comprising a bypass flow valve disposed in a conduit extending between said inlet and outlet conduits and operable upon an increase in water pressure in the capillary tubes to bypass the water flow directly from the output to the input of the chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the source of electric power is a battery.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,802,088 8/ 1957 MacCracken 2l92l2 X 2,866,072 12/ 1958 Smith 126-204 2,982,841 5/1961 MacCracken 219-212 3,112,792 12/1963 Coleman et al. -46 3,211,216 10/1965 Coleman et al 165-46 3,367,319 2/ 1968 Carter 126-204 FOREIGN PATENTS 760,320 10/1956 Great Britain.

VOLODYMYR Y. MAYEWSKY, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

